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He keeps me there, his eyes boring into mine, stirring up the anger inside. But it’s when they move to my lips that something else is roused. A clenching in the pit of my stomach that makes it hard to breathe.
“I think he’s in here,” my father says as he pushes the door to the office open wider.
As if I’ve burned him, Luca shoves me away, but not fast enough. Both my father and sister seem startled as they stand at the doorway watching us.
“Is everything all right?” Alma asks.
Luca gives her that smile he reserves only for her. “Of course. We were just hashing out some details of our agreement.”
Alma glances at me as if to confirm.
Shakily, I also smile at her. “Yeah, details.”
“I should be part of those conversations,” my father interjects.
“Actually, I’d prefer it if you refrained from talking to this man further,” I tell him.
His eye twitches, but he says nothing, because he knows this is all his fault. He makes the mess, and his daughters are left to clean it.
“Would you like to visit on the patio?” Alma asks Luca.
“Sounds good to me. It’s getting a little stuffy in here,” he says, tugging on the collar of his shirt and giving me a pointed look.
The two leave the office, and I glare at my father.
“I swear I’ll never do anything like this again,” he says. “You believe me, Cari, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. You’ve already given away your biggest treasure. There’s nothing left for you to gamble with!” I throw my arms up in frustration.
“Cari,” he murmurs, but I ignore him and go into the kitchen, where I can better see the couple outside.
I move to the window that faces the rear of the house and watch as Luca approaches Alma, who’s beneath the large oak in the middle of the yard. He says something to her, and though I can’t make out what it is, she smiles.
Shyly, she tucks her cheek against her shoulder and peers up at him through her long lashes. He lifts a hand to push a lock of dark hair behind her ear, then leans in and kisses her.
Every nerve in my body tenses as I take it all in. How he patiently coaxes her into his arms. How gentle he presses his lips to hers.
It’s like the perfect romantic scene in a movie. The rebel and the princess. Him with his long hair, tattoos, and leather. Her in a pink maxi dress, with soft, wavy hair and shy manners.
But this isn’t a movie. He’s a lion, and she’s a lamb.
“He’s going to eat her alive,” I whisper, then turn to my father who’s standing at the far end of the kitchen. “You know that, right? He’s going to break her.”
Daddy slumps against the wall, his gaze glued to the floor from the shame of it all. “I know.”
5
CARINA
“You’re going to look so beautiful,” I say wistfully as I lean against the doorframe of my sister’s room.
She’s holding the wedding dress to her chest in front of the standing mirror. In the reflection, she smiles. But it doesn’t reach her eyes. “It’s very pretty. Very expensive. But—”
“It’s not what you would have chosen,” I finish for her.
I get behind her. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I lean my head against hers. “You will be the most beautiful bride ever.”
Alma pats my hand, then moves to the bed, where she lays the dress and stands back to admire it. But soon her shoulders sag, and she lets out a long breath. “I wonder if I could add a shawl. But where would I get something like that now? The wedding is tomorrow.”
